


A Long-Awaited Reunion

by Raven_Rissa95



Category: Dragon Age, Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Book: Dragon Age - Asunder, Dragon Age Spoilers, F/M, Human Cole (Dragon Age), Mage-Templar Dynamics (Dragon Age), Mage-Templar War (Dragon Age), Mages (Dragon Age), Post-Book: Dragon Age - Asunder, Post-Dragon Age: Inquisition - Trespasser DLC, Post-War Table Operation: Locate Rhys and Evangeline (Dragon Age), Reunions, Romance, Templars (Dragon Age)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:13:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24700642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raven_Rissa95/pseuds/Raven_Rissa95
Summary: "He remembers."Cole longs to see his friends again after all this time, especially now the Exalted Council is over and the Inquisition is disbanded. But will Rhys and Evangeline want to see him, even in this new, human form? The way they left things...so many words were left unsaid. The only way he'll know for sure is if he seeks them out.
Relationships: Evangeline de Brassard/Rhys
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	A Long-Awaited Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this after finishing the Dragon Age novel Asunder (so there may be a few spoilers if you haven't read the book yet and/or completed Inquisition and its DLC Trespasser). I finally understood who Rhys and Evangeline were in the Inquisition war table quest 'Locate Rhys and Evangeline,' but I was saddened to see that Rhys and Evangeline never really meet up with Cole again, so I thought I'd write their reunion myself! :)

_He remembers._

Cole could not help but smile beneath his oversized hat. It had been almost two years since he had heard anything about Rhys and Evangeline’s whereabouts, but he remembered every word of the letter Rhys had sent the Inquisitor, as if he had read it only yesterday. He had found it one night whilst roaming the empty stone halls of Skyhold, everyone fast asleep in their beds. It was just lying there on the wooden war table beneath a streak of moonlight, tempting him to read it—so he had.

_Inquisitor,_

_We are honoured to serve the Inquisition, and we will leave straight away._

_I pray that you defeat Corypheus—whatever he is—soon. It is terrifying to see demons pour into the world, endangering innocent people…and as a medium, I have studied spirits at length. I know many of these poor creatures meant no harm to this world, and were drawn into it against their will, corrupted through no fault of their own into something dangerous._

_I once called such a creature my friend. I lost him in the rebellion, and never had the chance to offer forgiveness for the mistakes he made, or help him find his way back safely into the Fade._

_For the sake of both this world and that of the spirits, I wish you success; both Evangeline and I will fight tirelessly on your behalf._

_Yours,_

_Rhys._

Even though he smiled, it was a pained one. _He remembers…but he probably hates me._ This new human form had come with its advantages. He was no longer vulnerable to being controlled by Corypheus, the pain of others was not as loud in his ears, and he was now able to be seen and remembered by people. It was a blessing and a curse. It still confused him to this day that everyone could see him. He always expected _someone_ to not notice him, but now he could no longer walk in amongst large crowds unnoticed, or make people forget him. He could also feel so much more than before, emotions he had never experienced that he was still learning to deal with. Human nature was complex, the funny dwarf, Varric, had told him, and with it came emotions and memories that one had to learn from.

Cole sat on the balcony of the Winter Palace, legs swinging dangerously over the side, where the fall was several feet down into some thorny rosebushes. A gentle breeze rustled his clothes, the sunshine warm on his skin. It was a nice feeling, one that was more intense now he was mostly human. Everyone in the Inquisition had gone their separate ways after exchanging goodbyes. They had even said goodbye to Cole, and told him they would miss him. He would miss them too. It had been a trying few years, but they were some of the most transformative years he had ever had. He had become a whole new person, one he thought was better than the old Cole—at least, he hoped so. Now he was more human, he was remembering things about the first Cole’s past— _his_ past—that were not so pleasant, but with Varric and the Inquisitor’s help, he tackled every memory and put it behind him.

Varric was someone he would miss a lot. He found the dwarf very intriguing. He would joke and laugh and deflect whenever he could, despite the pain in his heart. It hurt Cole to see him hurt about the real Bianca. Varric would smile and laugh, but behind those eyes there was a troubled man. He had even tried to teach Cole to make jokes. _I need to practice some more_ , he reminded himself. _I would like to make someone laugh one day, like he does so effortlessly. Maybe it’s because of his pain. Those who smile the most are often those who hide the most pain._

“You’re gonna fall if you’re not careful, kid.” The dwarf joined him on the balcony. He was just tall enough to rest his elbows on the stone beside Cole.

“The birds would smile,” said Cole, swinging his legs again.

Varric chuckled. “Never change, kid. I’ll miss that about you when I’m shut up in Kirkwall, playing at being a Viscount.”

“I will miss you too,” said Cole, staring out at the beautiful trees on the hillsides past the palace grounds. “I want to learn more jokes from you. I’m getting better…I think.”

“Okay, lay one on me. For old time’s sake.”

“Knock, knock.”

“Who’s there?”

“The door’s open, come on inside!”

Varric winced. _It wasn’t funny_. _I’ve been working on that one for days._ Just as Cole was about to slump his shoulders in defeat, Varric burst out laughing. “Your jokes are still awful, kid! But good on you for trying. You’ll get there one day.”

The pair fell into comfortable silence, both watching the world go by, knowing that their time together was coming to an end. It made Cole sad to think about. The Inquisition had been a stable constant in his life, something that had helped him learn and develop, to become something new. Now, it would cease to exist, and he would need to make his way in the world once again.

Varric cleared this throat. “So…” he said, breaking the silence, “I’m going to head back to Kirkwall soon. Where’re you heading?”

Cole shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“You could always come to Kirkwall? Your presence would definitely give us some well-needed entertainment.”

Cole chewed his lip. Where was he going to go? He couldn’t very well hang around the Winter Palace, not now everyone could see him. _I could go with Varric_ …but what was there for him in Kirkwall? He would only know Varric there, and he would probably be very busy with official things, being a very important person now. Cole would quickly be forgotten about.

 _No, he will remember me_ , Cole reminded himself, _just like everyone who was in the Inquisition will…and just like Rhys still does_. The thought of his friend brought an ache to his chest. He placed a hand over his heart where the pain was. He missed Rhys so much. He thought of him often in the years since he had last seen him. How he had defended him when others tried to harm him, tried to help him when he was lost and confused, embraced him in times of distress. He longed for a hug from the man who had been the first to show him any compassion in the White Spire in Val Royeaux. He missed the templar, Evangeline, too—well, she was an ex-templar now. She had also shown him kindness that he had never expected a templar of all people to bestow upon him, a magical being. He longed to see her too, to hold her hand and see her smile, crinkling her pretty eyes.

The ache in his chest grew stronger, his fingers digging into his shirt. _But…what if they hate me?_ The last time he had seen them both, he had faded away before their eyes in the sewers of the White Spire during a confrontation with Lord Seeker Lambert, distraught with the knowledge that he was not in fact human. He had been a creature of the Fade, a spirit of compassion. Rhys, broken and bloody, had stared at him, eyes wide with shock, and full of something else…confusion, mistrust, betrayal? It was too painful of a memory to think about. Even Evangeline had looked at him with piercing eyes that hurt too much to recall. He had not seen them since they had escaped the rebellion at the White Spire, and although it had been tempting to seek them out, Cole believed them to be better off without him. _They will forget about me in no time, forget about who I am…what I am_ , he had thought. The letter Rhys had sent the Inquisitor, on the other hand, suggested otherwise. _Rhys remembers me_. The first man to have acknowledged his presence still remembered him, despite their time apart. _What would he think of me now, in my new form? Would he rejoice, or fear me?_

“Kid, you haven’t blinked for almost a minute and you’re starting to scare me.”

Varric’s voice brought him out of his thoughts, rooting him to the present. His nimble fingers gripped the stone either side of him.

“What’s troubling you?” the dwarf asked, his voice soft and encouraging. “Talk to me.”

Cole sighed. “I haven’t seen my friends in years. I want to see them, but I don’t know if they’ll want to see me.”

Varric knotted his brows in thought. “Friends…you mean, the mage and the templar?”

Cole nodded. “I miss them, but…their letter confused me. He remembers me, but…how? He mentioned forgiveness but has he forgiven me?”

Varric’s expression remained unchanged, although confusion was beginning to take hold as he tried to put the pieces together in Cole’s vague words. “Well, you never know unless you try, right?” he said.

Cole tilted his head to one side, like a puppy. “What does that mean?”

“You never know if something will work out or not unless you try it. You won’t know if your friends want to see you or not if you don’t make contact with them. You have to take the leap and try to reach out to them…in whatever freaky way you will,” he added teasingly. “Pop up out of nowhere and frighten the living daylights out of them. I still laugh about the time when you did that to the Iron Lady back at Skyhold. She jumped so hard her horns fell off!”

“That was an accident,” said Cole, frowning. “I didn’t mean to make you laugh.”

“That’s when you’re funniest, kid. When you aren’t trying.” He reached up and patted Cole on the back, a gentle gesture that Cole was now used to. Physical contact was not so foreign of a concept now that everyone could see him. Humans showed their affection for one another by touching, whether it be by their hands or mouths, or other parts. “Look, what I’m saying is, you should go to your friends. What else have you got to do? I mean…you have a girlfriend now which I _cannot_ believe still—good on you by the way—but technically, you’re a free man! You can do whatever you want, and clearly you want to see your friends, so go find them. Don’t leave this unresolved until it drives you insane.”

It was possible. Cole knew where he could find them. Their last letter to the Inquisition before the Exalted Council was called reported that they were in Orlais, near Val Firmin, aiding Inquisition troops. They would no doubt still be in the area with the troops until they received news that the Inquisition was disbanded, and they were no longer bound by duty to stay. _I want to see them so badly…_ but he still couldn’t shake off the insistent doubt that they would shoot glares at him upon his arrival and send him away.

“You never know unless you try…” Cole muttered to himself, contemplating the notion. _I’ll never know if Rhys and Evangeline hate me unless I go to them and see._ “Thank you, Varric. I will find them.”

Varric smiled. “Good for you, kid.” He patted the man on the back once again. “Good luck with your journey. Hopefully I’ll see you around.”

Cole nodded appreciatively as the dwarf strolled away, his mind made up. _I’m coming, Rhys, Evangeline._

˜˜˜

Rhys opened his eyes with a flutter. A soft pressure against his chest told him that Evangeline had not yet awoken. He looked down to see her back against his chest, snuggling into the blankets, her black hair a tangled mess over the pillow. One of his arms was slung over her, holding her close.

The way the sun lit the fabric of the tent around them told Rhys it was morning already. He attempted to sit up, but a strong yet delicate hand grabbed him, forcing him back down. “Five more minutes,” Evangeline grumbled. She turned over and wriggled her way into his arms again, her head resting against his chest.

Rhys stifled a giggle as he obliged. “Yes, ma’am.”

He closed his eyes, allowing himself five more minutes too. He was so thankful for this moment—in fact, he was thankful for _every_ moment since the Conclave almost two years ago. It was Evangeline who had convinced him not to go, despite being an important figure for the mages, head of the Aequitarians, a title he had inherited from his mother. _I have a bad feeling,_ she had told him a few days before he was to begin his journey there. _All those important people together in one place…it’s too easy for something to happen._ It turned out she had been right. The Temple of Sacred Ashes, where the Conclave was being held, exploded, killing many important figures from both sides of the Mage-Templar conflict, even the Divine. If Rhys had ignored Evangeline’s pleas to stay and attended as well, he would have been amongst those in the rubble, a pile of bones and ash. _I’ll be grateful for you for the rest of my days_ , he told her silently, placing a kiss on the top of her messy head.

He attempted to sit up again. This time Evangeline let him. He scratched his grey-streaked beard and rubbed his eyes clear of sleep. “I’ll fetch us some tea,” he said, clambering out of the tent. Evangeline mumbled her thanks before turning over, and pulled the blankets over her head to block the sunlight spilling in as Rhys threw open the flaps.

Their tent was pitched on the outskirts of the Inquisition camp beside Val Firmin. The troops had been stationed nearby to fight off Corypheus’ forces as they attempted to take the settlement. They had been defeated two years ago, yet the troops remained here still. The Inquisition was continuing to establish peace and order, even after the darkspawn magister has been defeated. Rhys and Evangeline had been in the organisation’s debt after being rescued by Inquisition scouts, and continued to serve the cause wherever they could. Even if that meant there was nothing much for them to do nowadays except try to look important and find the odd mage cache here and there for the Inquisition to use.

Rhys stretched his arms up as he walked into the centre of camp, his robes rustling around him. The odd guard on duty would watch him beneath their helmets, but most people paid him no mind. Tensions between mages and non-mages were still about, but not as high as they were before the mages conscripted into the Inquisition, led by Grand Enchanter Fiona, had given their aid. _It’s nice to not have so many suspicious eyes on my back for once_.

A group of cooks were brewing tea in a large pot as they did every morning, and handed out cups to those who had risen from their beds in search of breakfast. Rhys took two cups so he could bring one back to Evangeline, and made his way back to their tent. The camp was quiet and calm this early in the morning, the sound of birds tweeting and the rustling of leaves from the trees in the forest nearby filling his ears. It allowed him to relax and take a gentle stroll.

Never in a million years did he think that after the events of the White Spire, he would be a free mage. He had lent his aid to the Inquisition, and that enabled him to gain enough standing to acquire some freedom, just as his mother, Wynne, had done after her efforts during the Fifth Blight, aiding the Hero of Ferelden. He was no longer hunted by Templars or Seekers. People still gave him looks every so often if he used magic in front of them, but he took that over the alternative—being made tranquil or locked up in a tower again. With Evangeline by his side, life was good.

Rhys returned to the tent, about to call to Evangeline to wake up for her tea so they could enjoy it on the grass, when a rustle by the trees nearby caught his attention. Out of the corner of his eye, a shadow darted behind a thick tree. His entire body instinctively tingled with mana, the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck raising. He was tempted to ask, " _Who’s there?"_ But everyone knew that that was something only idiots did. _It’s not like anyone has ever answered that question_.

He didn’t have his staff, having left it in the tent, but he was still able to perform most spells without it, although they were somewhat weaker. He took a wary step towards the trees several feet away. “Come out,” he demanded, voice stern. It could have been a demon, left over from the Breach. The occasional group would pass by here and there, but not anywhere near as many as it had been with the Breach tearing open the sky. Or, it could have been a bandit scout, attempting to see whether raiding an Inquisition camp was a good idea. Either way, Rhys prepared himself, mana surging throughout his body in anticipation. “ _Come out_ ,” he said again. But he was not prepared for what stepped out from behind the trees before him.

A young man with a large floppy hat, shaggy blond hair, and tatty leathers stepped out from the shade between the trees and into the sunlight, eyes hesitantly lifting from the ground to meet his. The mana surging through Rhys dissipated as he gasped in shock, the cups of tea clattering to the floor.

“ _Cole?_ ”

˜˜˜

Cole gulped, his fingers twitching at his sides. “Hello, R-Rhys,” he said shakily, nerves shooting through him like lightning. His eyes lingered on the mage’s, searching for an answer. Rhys had barely changed since they had last seen each other. He still had dark brown hair and a greying beard, and wore vibrant mage robes that fell around his feet, although now they were stained around the hem with tea. _What does he think of me?_ The mage said nothing, simply staring at Cole, unblinking, mouth agape. It made Cole feel worse. _Say something. Anything. Please. Even if it’s hurtful._

“Rhys?” Evangeline called from inside the tent. “Is everything okay?” When he did not respond, she climbed outside. “Rhys…oh, you’ve dropped tea everywhere! How could you be so clumsy—” She stopped at his unreadable expression. Her eyes followed his line of sight, and after a moment of thought her eyes flew open in recognition. “Cole?”

“Hello, Evangeline,” he said.

Both of them stared at him, not a word exchanged between them in the silent face off. Cole swallowed hard, his hands now trembling by his sides. He squeezed them into fists to stop them. It was too much. He dropped his eyes to the floor, hiding his face with his oversized hat. “I came to see you,” he said eventually.

Footsteps thudded across the grass, growing closer. Cole squeezed his eyes shut. _They’re going to attack me_ , he thought. _I’ll let them._ He tensed, bracing himself for a spell or a blade…when a pair of arms clamped themselves around him, squeezing him tight. The smell of lyrium and old books told him it was Rhys. “You’re alive,” Rhys whispered.

Cole wound his arms around Rhys’ waist and fell into his embrace, silent tears falling down his cheeks. _He doesn’t hate me_. Rhys held him for several moments, feeling the boy shake as he cried into his chest, staining his robes. He was the first to pull away, holding Cole at arm’s length, studying him with his warm eyes. “You seem different, Cole. Something has…changed, and I don’t mean that funky new hat of yours. I can’t sense you like I normally can.”

“I _am_ different,” he said, looking up at his friend with wet eyes. “A dwarf Viscount taught me how to become more human.”

Rhys and Evangeline shared a confused glance, before they chuckled. “Oh Cole,” she said, walking over to him, “you haven’t changed a bit.” Cole reached out and she took his hand, his other hand still gripping the back of Rhys’ robes, not ready to let go yet.

“So…you’re _not_ a demon?” asked Rhys.

“I am… _was_ …a spirit of compassion,” Cole explained. “Old Cole died, but I stayed with him until the end. Then I became him. After the White Spire, I killed Lord Seeker Lambert and left to help people who were in pain. Then the Inquisition found me with the Templars, and I helped them too. Then Corypheus was controlling spirits and demons, so the Inquisitor found an amulet to protect me, but it didn’t work. Solas said I was not wholly a spirt anymore, because of the old Cole's pain, and Varric showed me I could embrace my human side, so I did. I have.”

Rhys blinked several times as he tried to make sense of what the young man had said. “I…I think I understand,” he said, an amused smile on his face.

“People remember me now,” he continued. “They can’t forget me anymore. It makes helping people harder, as I can’t start over again.”

“When you say help people,” said Rhys, “you don’t mean by killing them…right?”

Cole shook his head, and Rhys sighed with relief. “I thought that was how I was supposed to help people,” said Cole. "To end their pain. But it’s not. I reach inside and heal it instead.”

Evangeline slipped under his hat and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Why don’t you join us for some tea, Cole. I’ll go and fetch three cups, since _someone_ spilt the last ones,” she teased, winking at Rhys.

Still unable to let go of Rhys, he allowed the mage to lead him back to their tent, where they sat crossed legged on the ground beside it. Rhys kept a hand on Cole’s shoulder as his tears subsided. “If you were a part of the Inquisition,” said Rhys, “then you must have known where we were. What took you so long to find us? To let us know you were alive?”

Cole looked away again. “I thought you h-hated me,” he said, voice shaky again.

Rhys shook his head in disbelief, and gave Cole’s shoulder a squeeze. “Oh, Cole…we never hated you. I forgave you for your mistakes back at the Spire ages ago. I always wondered what became of you. I thought you might have gone back to the Fade or something, after Lord Seeker Lambert revealed what you were. You disappeared and I thought I would never see you again.”

Evangeline returned with three cups of tea. “At least you’re here now.” She handed out the cups and joined them on the grass. She looked so different now without the weight of the heavy templar armour on her shoulders. She was happier, more relaxed. Her smile was not worn down with worry, and her eyes twinkled as she looked at Cole. _She’s even prettier than before_.

The three of them exchanged stories of what had happened to them in the past three years since they had last been together. Rhys and Evangeline told him about their travels across Orlais to escape the fighting, and then ended up being caught by the red templars, then rescued by the Inquisition, for whom they now still worked. Cole told them about his time with the templars at Therinfal Redoubt, how he had helped the Inquisitor defeat an envy demon, who then recruited him as a companion. He recalled the many adventures he had been on, the places he had seen, the friends he had made, and the people he had helped. Then he told them of his confrontation with the templar who had locked the original Cole in the White Spire’s dungeons, and how Varric had helped him understand and embrace his human side. How he had lost the power to make people forget him, but he was still able to feel people’s pain, to help them be at peace. He now felt everything that came with being more human, like intense emotions and memories.

“Well, you seem happier,” said Evangeline, cupping her warm tea with her hands. “A little conflicted maybe, but happier.”

“Being human is difficult,” Cole admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Isn’t it just,” Rhys agreed with a smirk. “I’m happy for you, Cole, truly. You don’t seem so afraid anymore, or so lost. You’ve grown.”

“And you have a girlfriend?” Evangeline cried, hands clasped beneath her chin. “Tell us about her! What’s she like?”

Cole shrugged. “She plays the lute and makes people happy. She sings their sorrows away, and I give them a helping hand.” Rhys and Evangeline beamed over at him, sending a warmth through his chest. _They remember me, they don’t hate me._ The corners of his mouth twitched into a small smile.

“What will you do now there’s no more Inquisition?” Cole asked, causing the pair to frown in confusion. “The Inquisitor told the lady with the big white hat that the Inquisition was over.” This made them frown even harder.

“You mean…at the Exalted Council?” asked Rhys. “The one the Inquisitor was to attend a few days ago?”

Cole nodded. “Solas made the Veil, and now he wants the world to burn so he can bring his people back. The Inquisitor didn’t have much of a choice. Solas has eyes everywhere…like spiders.”

It took a moment for Evangeline and Rhys to try and understand what Cole was saying, but in the end, they came to the same conclusion. “So…we’re no longer needed?” said Evangeline. “There’s no more Inquisition to help?”

“Yes.”

Rhys lent back on his hands, lips pursed in thought. “Well…we don’t have to hide so much these days, not with this Mage-Templar conflict on hold—or at least turned down several notches—and we don’t have a duty to help the Inquisition anymore if it's disbanded, so where do we go from here?” He looked to Evangeline, but she simply shrugged.

“I’ve no idea,” she replied, brushing her tangled hair out of her eyes with her fingers. “We’ll figure it out.”

Rhys turned to Cole. “What are _you_ going to do now?”

“Travel with Maryden,” Cole answered. “Help more people.” He swallowed as emotion threatened to choke him again. “I wanted to see you again before I go. To see if you really remembered me, like the letter said.”

“I could never forget you, Cole,” said Rhys. “Evangeline hasn’t forgotten you either.”

Evangeline nodded in agreement. “I kept a note with me to remind me who you were and what we had done together if you began to slip my mind, although recently I haven’t needed to. I suppose that has something to do with your…transformation.”

“I think so,” said Cole.

Rhys stretched again, raising his arms up to the sky, before getting to his feet. “Well, I suppose we’d better tell the soldiers that their organisation has disbanded. I’m sure they want to return to their families and such as soon as possible.”

Evangeline and Cole stood as well. “We’ll need to find something to do as well,” said Evangeline.

“Or…we could take a little holiday,” said Rhys, a mischievous smile on his face. “We’ve either been on the run or working ourselves to the bone for the past couple of years, Eve. Perhaps we could take some time for ourselves. See more of the world without someone on our trail.”

Evangeline fought back a smile, her mouth twitching. “I suppose we could.”

Cole stood back and watched his two old friends share intimate glances and speak in soft tones to one another as they discussed their future. A swell of happiness grew in his chest. _They’re happy. They remember me…and they won’t forget me_. He smiled beneath his hat. _I should go now._

As if they could sense what he was thinking, Rhys and Evangeline pulled him into a group hug. He held them both, their heartbeats loud either side of his ears, and looked into their emotions. There was no pain there, no sorrow to fix, no wounds to heal. They were truly happy.

“It was nice seeing you again, Cole,” said Rhys as they pulled away, giving his shoulder a gentle pat. “Come find us again soon, okay?”

“Okay,” he replied.

Evangeline planted another kiss on his cheek. “We think about you all the time,” she revealed, “and now you’ve set our minds at ease. Thank you.”

“Thank you too,” said Cole, “for believing I was real. I _am_ real.”

With that, he gave them a little wave and retreated into the trees, leavings his friends to begin their new journey, and for him to start his own.


End file.
